This invention relates to an airborne target acquisition system, and more particularly to a target acquisition system for a light air defense system for acquiring and engaging hostile airborne targets while the system is stationary, and particularly while it is on move, both in the day and at night, in clear, limited and adverse weather.
Prior art air defense systems were primarily of the active sensor type in which the target was acquired by radar signals and tracked by the same radar set. The prior art radar based air defense systems were succeptible to radar jamming by known chaff dispensing systems and active electronic warfare trickery which were designed to confuse the radar as to the identity and position of the target. They were also dangerously susceptible to active protection measures such as radar homing missiles which could simply home on the radar signal and destroy the radar station. If the radar station and the air defense installation happened to be in the same location the air defense installation was also vulnerable to attack by the same radar homing missiles.
Another disadvantage of radar based air defense system is that the attacking aircraft had ample warning that an air defense system was in place and operating well before they were in the range of the air defense system. This enabled them to take effective counter measures against such air defense systems, as described above, or to simply avoid that location.
Prior art air defense systems have typically been very costly and complex. The high cost of such systems limit the number which could be deployed because only a certain percentage of the funds in a defense budget is available for air defense. In addition, the prior art air defense systems where so complicated that the training of gunners was expensive and time consuming, so only a small number of gunners was trained and available to operate the system. If those gunners where absent because of illness or injury, the effectiveness of the air defense system was lessened.
The complexity and sophistication of prior art air defense systems also required a corresponding high degree of training and sophistication of the maintenance personnel and operations to keep the air defense system in operational readiness. In addition, many such systems had hardware, electronics and munitions that were specifically designed for the system and therefore required a spare parts inventory all of their own, further complicating the supply and maintenance situation.
It has long been a goal of the military community to develop an air defense system that utilizes only passive or near-passive sensors so as not to reveal the presence of the air defense system, and to develop an small lightweight air defense system that can be deployed quickly and procured inexpensively in large numbers. The target acquisition system of such a light air defense system must be simple and uncomplicated so that the gunners can be trained quickly and in large numbers, and so that the maintenance of such a system does not put excessive extra demands on the logistics of a flexible, fast moving fighting force. The target acquisition system must be extremely fast acting and self verifying so that the gunner is able to acquire targets, confirm their identity, ensure that the homing system is locked onto the target, and launch the munitions before the target has passed out of sight or located and destroyed the air defense system.